Condenser and method of condensation



N. H. HILLER. CONDENSER AND METHOD 0F CONDENSATION.

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N. H. HILLER.

coNDENsER AND METHOD 0F coNDENsATloN.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 9.1915.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE. f

NIcoLAI H. HILLER, or canBoNnALE, PENNSYLVANIA.`

coNDENsnn yANDi iiinrnon or coNnENsaTIoN.

1,360, was;

To'aZZ whom t may concern.' Y y Be it knoWnthatI, NicoLAr HgHrnLnn, av citizen of the United States of America,y and a resident of Carbondale, in the county of Laclrawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvernents in Condensers and Methods of Condensation, of which the following is aV specication. 'Y i My invention relates to improvements inl-v condensers, particularly condensers de-i signed for use inrefrigeration apparatus,lv

including ice making plants, and to processes of condensation.

denser herein describedis particularly in-l tended'for condensing ammonia; though Il do not limit it to any particular use. In its? more usual'form, it is a coil condenser of the@y up-floiv type and comprises means for the.

return to the gas-inlet of a portion of the condensate, the fluid ycirculating through the'condenser being a mixturerof the pre' viously condensed liquid with the gas to be condensed and' liquid formed by condensation of such gas. My invention consists in various features of construction and arrangement Whereby the eiciency of the condenser is very rgreatly increased. and whereby it is rendered very steady7 in operation; and in the novel process of'coridensa- Vtion carried out in the apparatus.

The objects of my invention are, to obtain greater condensing capacity. per unit of cooling surface than. hasgbeen obtainable heretofore; to avoid surging and similar `disturbances such as have been encounteredV frequently in other types of coil condensers; and to provide a concenser which, While simple inconst'ruction and easy to operate, is compact and highly eflicient.

l will now proceed to describenly invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and Will then` point out the novel features in claims:

Figure l shows a side Veleva-tion -rof one :type oi' condenser embodying my invention.

Fig-.f2 shoivs a fragmentary end viewA of a plurality of condenser units constructed iny accordance With invention.

Fig. 3 shows, on a larger scale Vthan the previous views, a centralvertlcal'sectiony of` the type of injector employed in connection with thecondenser. Y Fig. el isa transverse vertical sectionon a larger the ripper portion of the' vcondenser f showrllhe improved con-l scale than thel previous views, of'.

VSpecification of Letters latent.v Patented NOV. 30, 1920. lippiieatidn and muy 9, 1915." serial No. 38,351.

on a larger scale. of a portion of the condenser of Fig. 6;l

Fig. 8 is a `zt'ragmentary horizontal section off the condenser of Fig. 6 showing the in- Vgector through which the circulating pipe is connected to the bottom run of the condensing coil.

Fig. 9 shows a transverse section through one of the double pipe-runs of the condenser shown in Fig. 6.

Referring first to Fig. 1: Numeral l designates a return-bend pipe coil conduit consisting of a plurality of horizontal or nearly horizontal lengths or runs connected by return-bends. 2 designates the inlet to this pipe coil, l, such inlet being located at the bottom thereof,` and 3 designates the outlet of such pipe coil l. Beneath the pipe coil, l, there is another coil 4, of the general nature ofthe coil l above, but the principal function of which coil lis to cool the gas to be condensed. The gasto be 'condensed is received through a header 5 and valve 6, and is passed first, through the pre-v liminary coolin 0' coils 4L, and thence through an injector 7, shown in section in Fig. 3,'

into the inlet 2 of the main condenser coil l. A portion of the condensate is delivered from the outlet of coil l, througha returnflow circulation pipe 8 having in it a U-tra 9 dropp'ng Well .below the inlet 2, to the combining space l() of the injector. rllhe gas to be condensed passes through a nozzle 1l of this injector into the inlet 2 and draws Vwith it condensate `from this combining ward through the thirdrun of that coil, and

so on upward, the proportion of condensate.

in such mixture. continually 'increasing owing to the condensation due to the cooling action lof the water flowing over the coils.

I havefound it desirable to provide, at

various intermediate parts of thecoil 1, drip pipes 13 lea-ding to a condensation header 14; and to such headerI connect' a con? densate outlet header 15, througha valve 16. 'InV theoperation'of this condenser, gas

yentering at 5 is cooled by Vpassage through the lower pipe coil 4, and thence passes through ythe injector nozzle 11, drawing# liquid condensate from the pipe 8 and outlet 3 of the condenser, and then flowing, mixed with the liquid condensate from return pipe 8, into 'the lower run of the main condensing 'coil 1, and thence flowing upward through the several rims ofcoil 1, being continually condensed by the cooling action ofthe cooling water flowing over coil'1. In order to draw off a portionl of the liquid condensate from different portions ofthe condenser, and thereby to reduce the percentage of liquid to gas, andV also to `,reduce any possible f `tendency to surging in the condenser, the

drip connections 13` are provided; through which drip connections a portion Yof the liquid condensed will be drawn off into the vheader 14, and thence delivered into conden- VYsation'outlet 15.

' The pressure in the condensing coils is highest 'at the bottom andY grows progressively lower toward the top, due to friction in the coil and decreasinghydrostatic'head.

In the drip connections 13 the liquid lies'at 40 in the first pipe 13 (the one 'having the lowest different -levels depending upon therelative Y pressures of the portions of the condenser to whichfthese drip connections are connected for example, the liquid will lie lower connection to the' condenser) than' it lwill in the next pipe 13, and so-on, the y'iinallevel Y of the liquid being determined by 2the over- Y flow pipe 18j in header 14. SinceV the liquid acted upon exists as liquid in these drip pipes 13, these pipes 13 constitute traps, preventing short circuiting of the gas from the Y first pipe 13 through the header 14 dii'ectto A that'thehead pressure oftlie'condenser `is materially higher than if those drip pipes the outlet 16.

f VIn practice it has been found that these dripV pipes very materially affect 'the performance of the condenser. Inexperiments,

the, drip pipes 'have been closed 'oli' by'valves provided in them, V and it has been found be open. 0n the other hand,1there,seems Vto beno occasion for lthe provision of *drip *pipesv lower down in the condenser than Y shown', because when this was tried'the pres- Y sure'went up, possibly due to backing up of I liquid. Y

' VThe trapped drippipes13 greatlyfacilitate theY drawing off of air and foul gasV .71,360,748 l fr i y (gas which does notv condense readily) from fthe condenser-through 'the valvel 17, or vdown Vthrough the drip header 14, valve 16and thence tothe `'anhydrous receiver. In cerf ltain old types of-condensers'attempts were made `Vto draw off foulgas from the top of t-he condenser through'the anhydrous receiver, and it'wasV found that if thisV wereY attempted, the gas to be condensed in runs otherk than the top run ofthecondenser, would'` also be'drawn off through the'anhydrous receiver. But in my condenser, since the drip pipes `13 are trapped, gas can 4be `dra-wn voff from the'top run withoutY draw#v ing off gas 'from thelower runs,.eXcept as that gasY first passes up through the condenser into 'the top run; l

The trap 9 in circulating or returrr'flow pipe 8 I havefound to `be very important.

In experiments, I have used Ysuch a return pipe without the trap or its equivalent, and it was foundA that, without use of the trap or its equivalent, the returnl ofV condensed liquid through the pipe 8 would soon cease,

fandthatpip'e 8 would' grow warm, showing that -gas was'flowing vback 'through the pipe S instead 'of "the condensed liquid flowing Y' down through that pipe; in other words,

there isa tendency for the gas tofshort'circuit the condenser, throughY pipe 3, if the trap 9 or its equivalent be not employed. Asindicated in `Fig..2, in Vpractice there may be a. plurality of these coils 1 and 4 connected to a common gas supplyfheader 5 and an anhydrous outlet headerj15, each pipe coil 1 4 having vits own return pipe'S Vand injector?, Y

Yand, of course, having its own drippipes 13.`

` can ybe drawn oil' `through'valve 16 clear iio se uent 'hi h condensinof ca acit7 a rather greater 'flow of cooling water ismaintained from trough 12 than has Vbeen common in the past, in connection with lcoil condensers,

and therefore vI have found it important vto provide splashgplates' 21, beneath trough 12l which splash` plates confined the cooling waterto the condensing coils. Y Y

The eiliciencyof this condenser'has provedY to be very high Y One suchy condenser, hav-V ing fabout -Vsquare feet of cooling surface,

and operated with cooling water lata teniperature vof about 60 Ydegrees'--I*`ahrenheit,

showed refrigerating-capacity ofY 29A tons, with ahead pressure-of 125.7 pounds, the' temperature` of ,the anhydrous V,ammonia leaving fthe' condenserV beingV 733 Vdegrees Fahrenheit; Vthe Vcooling water vused being 66:19 gallons'vperminnte, and being 2,30per iso minute per ton of refrigeration. This represents an increase of 4.1 tons refrigeratlng capacity V (16%) over the best performance of any other condenser of like surfacek known to me, with a smaller consumption of ,cooling water per ton of refrigeration capacity than in any other condenser known to me.

The high observed eiiiciency of this condenscr'is due in large measureto the'fact that in the lower runs of the condenser there is present a large proportion of cooled liquid (derived from return pipe 8) in mixture with thegas, so that there is a high rate of transmission of heat from such mixture to the walls of the condensing conduit; also to the fact that higher up in the condenser, where the proportion of liquid to gas is increased greatly as a result of condensationV of the gas, a considerable proportion at least of the liquid is drawn off, so restoring a proper proportion of liquid to gas in the mixture which passes up beyond such drawoff points.

In Figs. 6, 7 and S I illustrate an alternative form of condenser, in which, instead of flowing cooling water over the condensing coils, I flow cooling fluid through pipes located within the cooling coils. In these iigures, numerals 1a designates a return bend pipe conduit similar to the return-bend pipe conduit 1, of Fig. 1, except that the pipe conduit 1a has within it an interior pipe conduit 12a for the ow of cooling water; the pipes 122L being extended out through the ends of the return-bend pipe fittings ofthe conduit 1n, and being connected outside of such return-bend pipe fittings, by other return-bend pipe fittings 121.` These pipes 12a are provided with spirall ribs 12c (see particularly Fig. 7 ywhich substantially lill the annular space between pipes 111 and 12, forcing the fluid being condensed to flow helically around pipes 12a; whereby a very efficient cooling action by these pipes 12aL is secured.

A circulating connection 8 is provided, as

in Fig. 1, for the return of a portion ofthe condensate through the trap 9 to the lower run of the condenser. The condenser comprises, as in Fig. 1, two pre-cooling runs 4.

As in Fig. 1, a condensation header 14 is may be employed; a very sensitive check valve would be such an equivalent, but that check valve would have to be very sensitive indeed.

This application is in part a continuation of my application liled January 11, 1913,l

Serial No. 741,576.

,The drip outlet is not claimed specilically herein, but is made the subject matter of a separate co-pending application, Serial No. 413,286,1iled September 28th, 1920.

Vhat I claim is:

1. An uplow condenser such as described comprising a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a` higher level than the former, such conduit forming a continuous passage for gas to be condensed from such inlet upward to said outlet, .a main liquid drawoff separate from said outlet, means for flowing cooling medium in heat exchanging proximity to such conduit, means, comprising a return conduit having means for preventing back. How of gas, for returning a portion of the liquid condensate of such condenser from said outlet to the lower portion of such condenser, and means for admitting gas to be condensed to the lower portion of such condenser.

2. An uplow condenser such as described, comprising a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level than the former, such conduit forming a continuous passage for gas to be condensed fromsuch inlet upward to said outlet, means for flowing cooling medium in heat exchanging proximity to such conduit, means, comprising a return conduit having a trap 'for preventing back flow of gas, .for returning a portion of the liquid condensate of such condenser to the lower portion of such condenser at a point above said gas inlet, and means for admitting gas to be condensed to the lower portion of such condenser.

3. An uplow condenser such as described comprising a plurality of conduits each having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level than the former,each conduit 4forming a continuous passage forgasto be condensed from its inlet upward to its outlet, means for flowing cooling medium in heat exchanging proximity to such conduits, and means, comprising a plurality of return conduits each having a trap-loop extending below the said inlet of the condenser, for returning a portion of the liquid condensate of each condenser conduit to the lower portion of the same condenser conduit.

4. A condenser such as described comprising a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level 'than thc former, such conduit forming a continuous passage for gas to be condensed from such inlet upward to said outlet, means for flowing cooling medium in heat exchanging condensed to the lower portion of such con.-V denser, comprising an injector connected Y also to said return conduit, and arranged to mingle the returned condensate with the' entering gas.' i

5. A condensernsuch asV described comprising a return-bend pipe conduit having sublstantially horizon'tal runs connected -by return-hends-and having an inlet and an outlet,the latter ata higher level than the for! tlie'liquid condensateof suchf condenser to the 'lower portion of said condenser, and means for injecting gas to he condensed into one of the substantially horizontal runs ofV 'such Vcondenservcoil and thence upwardly through that coil to the outlet thereof. Y G, An upflow condenser suchas described comprising'a return-bend pipe conduit h'av ii'ig substantially horizontal runs connected -by return-bends and having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level than the former, suoli lconduit forming a continuous passage for gas to he condensed from such inlet upward to said outlet, means for flowing cooling medium inY heat exchanging proximity to such-conduit, meansY forin-V jeotii'ig, gas to be condensed into one ofjthe vlower Ahorizontal runs of such conduit, and thence upward through the return-bend con-V duit to the outlet thereof, aY return conduit arranged to return a portion of the liquid ycoi'idensed from the upper portion of such condenser Acoil to the lower portion thereof, f

and Vmeans independent of said return conduit for taking'oill Ycondensed liquid directly from an intermediate portion of such coil.

T. A condenser such as described compris` ingaconduit having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level Ythan the former, such conduit forming 'continuous passage for gas to be condensed from such inlet upward to said outlet, means tor flowing cooling mediuni in Vheat exchanging' proximity to suchcoiiduit, a return conduit for returning a portion of the liquid condensate of such coiidensei to the lower port-ion of such condenser, means for admitting gasV to be `condensed to the lower portion of such condenser, and trapped draw olf connections f Y .densed, a return conduitfor returning a portion of the liquid condensate olsuchY conconnected to thecondenser at different levf els,for'drawing off a portion of the` liquid condensed;v

8. An upow condenser such as described comprising a conduit having an inlet andan outlet, the latter at a higher level than lthe former, suoli conduit forming a continuous passage for gas to loeV condensed from such inlet upwardl to said outlet, means for iowieojas ing coolingY inediiun in heat 'exchanging proximity tosuch conduit, a return conduit orreturning aportion of the liquid Y condensate Vof 'such Vcondenser Y to the lower Y portion of such condenser, means for admit-V ting gas to be' condensed to the lower portion oli'V such condenser Va drik headerY and drip connections connected to Asaidjheaderv independent of 'saidqreturn conduit for drawing' off a portion of the liquid con- 'densedY directly i'romsaid condenser con-- 9.A condenser suoliV as described comprisingV a conduitxhaving an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher levelthat the former, such conduit forming a continuous passage for gas to loe condensedvrlirom such inlet upward to said outlet, meansfor flowing cooling medium .in heat exchanging proximity to such conduit, Ya'return conduit for returning a portion of the liquidcon` densate of suchcondenser to Vtlielower por-V tion of such condenser, such return conduit Y continuous passage forl gas 'to he condensed iironi suclijinlet upward'to said outlet, means for liowing coolingniediumrin heat exchanging proximity to suoli conduit, a return convduitfor returning portion of the liquid condensateof such' condenser to the lower portionvof suoli condenser, suchl return conduit having means for preventing hack flow of the gas, means for vadmittint'r;

gas to be condensed to the lower portion of Y such condenser, a drip header,'and drip connections therefrom to said conduit intermediate of its ends for drawing off a portion 4oi? the liquid Y condensed from the upow'ing gas.

ll. uplow Qcoiidenserf such Vl`as, descrihed,rcomprising a double-pipe coil comprisinginner and outer pipes, one of which is arranged for the flow of cooling fluid', the other having anv inletjand'anf outlet, the latter at a higher level'tha'n the former, the inlet adapted for therentry ofgaslto be condenserffrom said outlet to said gasrinletYV i and means for drawing` ofi' a portion of thel Jtor the flow of cooling fluid, the other hav-V ing` an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level than the former, the inlet adapted for the entry of gas to be condensed,

and a return conduit for returning a portion of the liquid condensateof such condenser to said gas inlet, and trapped draw off Yconnections connected to the condensing space outlet connections to the annular space between the inner and outer pipes, the outlet at a higher level thanV the inlet, such inlet adapted for the entry or' gas to be condensed, a return conduit arranged to returnV a portion of the liquid condensate from the upper portion of such annular space to the said gas inlet and a separate draw-oil' for another portion of the liquid condensate.

14. A condenser such as described comprising a double-pipe coil, having inner and outer pipes, the former adapted Jfor the iiow or cooling iiuid, the latter having inlet and outlet connections to the annular space between the inner and outer pipes, the outlet at a higher level than the inlet, such inlet adapted for the entry of gas to be condensed, a return conduit arranged to return a portion of the liquid condensate from the upper portion of such annular space to the said gas inlet, said return conduit provided with means Jfor preventing back flow of gas and said coil having a liquid drawod below said outlet.

15. A condenser such as described comprising a double-pipe coil, having inner and outer pipes, the former adapted for the flow of cooling fluid, the latter having inlet and outlet connections to the annular space between the inner and outer pipes, the outlet at a higher level than the inlet, such inlet adapted for the entry of gas to be condensed, a return conduit arranged to return a portion of the liquid condensate from the upper portion of such annular space to the said gas inlet, and trapped draw off connections connected to said annular space at different levels, for drawing oil` a portion of the liquid condensed.

16. A condenser such as described comprising a double-pipe coil, having inner and outer pipes, the former adapted for the flow of cooling fluid, the latter having inlet and outlet connections to the annular space be tween the inner and outer pipes, the outlet at a higher level than the inlet, such inlet adapted for the entry of gas to be condensed, means for drawing oit a portion of the condensate at a. point intermediate of the end of the coil, a return conduit are ranged to return a portion of the liquid con'- densate from the upper portion of such annular space to the said gas inlet, and a helical rib within such annular space converting such space into a helical passage.

Y 17. An uplow condenser such as described comprising a return bend pipe conduit consisting of substantially horizontal runs connected by return bends, such return bends being relatively short as compared with the length oi the horizontal runs, such conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the latter at a higher level than the former, means for flowing a cooling medium in heat exchanging proximity to such conduit, means for mixing gas to be condensed with a portion ofthe liquid already condensed, and for discharging such mixture by the action of the gas through theinlet of such conduit above the lowermost part of the condenser directly into a horizontal run of the conduit and thence upward through the conduit, and a permanently open connection for delivering` a portion of the liquid condensed to such mixing means.

18. The herein described method of condensation, which comprises mixing a gas to be condensed with the liquid product of previous condensation, flowing such mixture in heat exchanging relation to, but out of contact with, a heat absorbing medium of lower temperature than such mixture, and thereby causing condensation of the gas so mixed with the said liquid, and at a plurality of spaced points in the progress of the mixture withdrawing therefrom a portion of the liquid of the mixture, and thereby restoring a desirable proportion oi liquid to gas in such mixture.

19. The herein described method of condensation, which comprises mixing a gas to be condensed with a liquid, flowing such mixture in heat exchanging relation to, but out of contact with, a heat absorbing medium oi? lower temperature than such mixture, and thereby causing condensation of the gas so mixed with the said liquid, and at a point in the progress of the mixture intermediate of the ends of its cooled path withdrawing therefrom a portion of the liquid of the mixture and thereby restoring a desirable proportion of liquid to gas in such mixture.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two sub- Y scribing witnesses.

NICOLAI H. HILLER.

Witnesses:

H. M. MARBLE, PAUL H. FRANKE. 

